Gamete donors’ reasons for, and expectations and experiences of, registration with a voluntary donor linking register

Abstract

This paper reports on a study of the views and experiences of 21 sperm donors and five egg donors registered with UK DonorLink (UKDL), a voluntary DNA-based contact register established to facilitate contact between adults who wish to identify and locate others to whom they are genetically related following donor conception. Specifically, the paper examines donors’ reasons for searching for, or making information about themselves available to donor-conceived offspring. Their expectations of registration with UKDL, experiences of being registered and finally, the experiences of those who had contacted donor-conceived offspring and other genetic relatives are investigated. While most respondents reported largely positive experiences of registration, the study found significant issues relating to concerns about donation, DNA testing, possible linking with offspring and expectations of any relationship that might be established with offspring that have implications for support, mediation and counselling. Research that puts the experiences, perceptions and interests of gamete donors as the central focus of study is a relatively recent phenomenon. This study contributes to this debate and highlights directions for future research in this area.

Keywords:

• UK DonorLink
• DNA
• donor conception

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank UK DonorLink for facilitating this study and participants for giving their time to share their views and experiences with us.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflict of interests to declare except for MC who was national adviser to UKDL from 2003 to 2013. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.